Month: March 2021

Mike Esmond, owner of a construction company in Gulf Breeze, Florida, wrote a check this month for $7,600 to pay off overdue utility balances for 114 residents of his city. All of them were at risk of their gas and water being turned off before his magnanimous gesture. His community in the Panhandle has been… Continue reading Paying the Utility Debts for 114 Strangers

Four blind men were standing in front of an elephant and trying to figure out what was in front of them. The first man touched the trunk and said: “This is a thick snake.” The second man who was touching the elephant’s leg, remarked, “This is a tree trunk.” The third man placed his hands… Continue reading 4 Ways to See Things from a New Perspective

My grandmother, Zelda, was born in July, 1924 in a city called Samara on the Volga River in the former Soviet Union. There was so much despair, hunger and poverty after the World War I and the Communist Revolution of 1917. Her mother died when she was just three, during the birth of her younger… Continue reading A Russian Doll and an Unlikely Legacy of Kindness

כולנו חווים כישלונות, אכזבות, חוסר מוטיבציה, עצבות, כעס ועוד רגשות שליליים כאלה מידי פעם. עם השנים זה מצטבר ומקשה עלינו לשמור את אותה שמחת ילדות שהייתה לנו פעם. פרשת השבוע (ויגש) מרתקת במיוחד ומלאה בתובנות לגבי התמודדות עם קשיים. ניגע באחד מהם. על פרשיית יוסף הנמכר לעבד ועולה לגדולה במצרים, נכתב בספר הזוהר: "ניתן הכל… Continue reading על חשיבותה של השמחה.

On December 20, Britain announced it was placing much of the country into a new Tier 4 lockdown, aimed at preventing the spread of a new, potentially more contagious variant of Covid-19. The severe new restrictions were due to come into effect later that night. Rabbi Alex Chapper of Borehamwood & Elstree Synagogue in suburban… Continue reading Planning a Wedding with 2-Hours’ Notice

El 10 de Tevet es uno de los cuatro días de ayuno que conmemora tiempos oscuros en la historia judía. Los otros son Tishá B’Av (el día de la destrucción de ambos Templos en Jerusalem), el 17 de Tamuz (el día en que Tito y sus tropas romanas derribaron el muro defensivo de Jerusalem en… Continue reading El 10 de Tevet

Ushering in the New Year provides an opportunity to make resolutions about how we wish to improve and reach for our dreams in the year ahead. With 2020 in hindsight, many of us are approaching 2021 with cautious optimism. How can we effectively make and keep our resolutions in 2021? The following tips from behavioral… Continue reading Effective Resolutions: Behavioral Insights on Creating Positive Change

Regarding the unprecedented development of two new vaccines in less than a year with over 90% efficacy, with the promise of eradicating the coronavirus global pandemic in the very near future, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar called the moment “nothing short of a medical miracle”. Jews could not help but note the startling… Continue reading When Covid is Over: The Hidden Blessings of 2020

Amos* and eighteen of his fellow IDF soldiers were spending Yom Kippur just meters away from the Syrian border when the 1973 war broke out. They fought for 100 hours straight against an overpowering enemy and unrelenting firepower, and survived. They are the heroes of Outpost 107. This is their story. Outpost 107, code-named ‘Portugal’… Continue reading Valley of Tears: The True Story of Outpost 107